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Simplified Whole Body Plethysmography to Characterize Lung Function During Respiratory Melioidosis
Published on: February 24, 2023
Human melioidosis reported by ProMED
Katherinn Melissa Nasner-Posso1, Stefania Cruz-Calderón1, Franco E Montúfar-Andrade2
1Public Health and Infection Research Group and Incubator, Faculty of Health Sciences, Universidad Tecnológica de Pereira, Pereira, Risaralda, Colombia.
Objective:
There are limited sources describing the global burden of emerging diseases. A review of human melioidosis reported by ProMED was performed and the reliability of the data retrieved assessed in comparison to published reports. The effectiveness of ProMED was evaluated as a source of epidemiological data by focusing on melioidosis.
Methods:
Using the keyword 'melioidosis' in the ProMED search engine, all of the information from the reports and collected data was reviewed using a structured form, including the year, country, gender, occupation, number of infected individuals, and number of fatal cases.
Results:
One hundred and twenty-four entries reported between January 1995 and October 2014 were identified. A total of 4630 cases were reported, with death reported in 505 cases, suggesting a misleadingly low overall case fatality rate (CFR) of 11%. Of 20 cases for which the gender was reported, 12 (60%) were male. Most of the cases were reported from Australia, Thailand, Singapore, Vietnam, and Malaysia, with sporadic reports from other countries.
Conclusions:
Internet-based reporting systems such as ProMED are useful to gather information and synthesize knowledge on emerging infections. Although certain areas need to be improved, ProMED provided good information about melioidosis.
Insights
ProMED is a valuable online resource for tracking emerging infectious diseases like melioidosis. This review found ProMED useful for gathering epidemiological data on melioidosis cases globally.
Area of Science:
- * Infectious Diseases
- * Epidemiology
- * Public Health Surveillance
Background:
- * Limited data exists on the global burden of emerging infectious diseases.
- * ProMED is an internet-based system for reporting infectious disease outbreaks.
- * Assessing ProMED's reliability for epidemiological data is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- * To evaluate ProMED as a source for global melioidosis epidemiological data.
- * To assess the reliability of ProMED-reported melioidosis cases.
- * To synthesize knowledge on emerging infections using ProMED.
Main Methods:
- * Systematic review of ProMED entries using the keyword 'melioidosis'.
- * Data extraction included year, country, gender, occupation, case numbers, and fatalities.
- * Analysis of 124 ProMED entries from January 1995 to October 2014.
Main Results:
- * 124 ProMED entries identified 4630 melioidosis cases, with 505 deaths (11% case fatality rate).
- * Geographic distribution: Primarily Australia, Thailand, Singapore, Vietnam, and Malaysia.
- * Gender distribution: 60% of reported cases were male.
Conclusions:
- * ProMED is a useful tool for synthesizing knowledge on emerging infections.
- * The system provides valuable information on melioidosis epidemiology.
- * Improvements in ProMED reporting could enhance its utility further.
